Paris terror attacks make travelers wary

Pocatellans with plans to travel to Europe are having second thoughts because of the attacks in Paris Friday.

German language teacher Rick Call has taken students to France and other European countries since he started teaching in 1994. Like many others, Call was shocked by the news of the attacks.

Especially because he’s walked those Parisian streets in the past.

“What scared me the most was how it can just be random,” Call said.

The attacks had Call rethink future plans, particularly a trip to London in May to see his mother for her birthday.

“I told my wife I’m not real positive about doing this now,” he said.

News of heightened security in France, England and other European countries have created a similar sense of uneasiness for clients of A Step Above Travel in Pocatello.

Trevor Henderson, the owner, has been working in the travel industry for 25 years. He said it’s about keeping up-to-date with the facts and adapting to them.

“You want to be sensitive to (what’s going on),” he said. “Make sure that the tour operators are doing their part, ask them what they’re doing, and ask how clients are doing.”

While Call is still uneasy about the idea of London, he still says, “We’ll just wait it out and see.”

The Business Travel Coalition surveyed 84 companies about their travel policies after the attacks. Twenty percent say they are likely to cancel travel to France for a period of time. Seventy percent say they would leave the decision up to the employee.